Lizard boat owners counting the cost of thefts

Boat owners on the Lizard Peninsula have been left counting the cost of thefts worth almost £50,000. Thieves have concentrated on St Anthony and the St Keverne area, where a number of engines have been stolen.

These include a 20 horse power Mariner engine, a 175 horse power Suzuki and two Yamaha 115 horse power engines.

Thieves had to cut the bolts that were attaching the engines to the boats. A second Suzuki engine was damaged and the propeller of an onboard motor was stolen.

Another boat had its cover stolen and fishing rods taken from onboard. The thefts all took place between Tuesday, November 27 and Monday, December 10.

PCSO Julia Berry, from Helston police station, estimated that the cost to the owners would be getting close to £50,000.

PCSO Berry runs the Boat Watch scheme for the area, which passes information and warnings out to all members.

She said that anyone who saw anything suspicious should not be afraid to report things by calling 101. This was the same number to call to join Boat Watch and to report information about the latest thefts, using reference AH12/1400. She added that this was the worst time of year for thefts, as boats were only being used infrequently.

PCSO Berry said: “People must mark their kit and add trackers. If they get stolen we can then track where they’re going.”